Christie to Press House Republicans to Approve Sandy Aid

By Terrence Dopp -
Jan 9, 2013

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
said he will keep pressuring fellow Republicans in Congress to
approve disaster aid as delays threaten to jeopardize efforts to
rebuild for the summer tourist season.

Shore towns are hesitant to start repairing damage from
Hurricane Sandy until the full $60 billion of federal aid that
has been requested is approved, Christie said in Belmar. The
borough today became the first New Jersey shore town damaged by
the Oct. 29 storm to begin rebuilding its boardwalk.

“I’ve helped a lot of people get elected to Congress over
the last few years, and now they’re going to be hearing from
me,” Christie said. “New Jerseyans are running out of patience
and so am I.”

Christie, 50, who is seeking a second term in November
after his response to Sandy boosted his approval rating, said
New Jersey can’t fully recover without funding from Washington.
Last week, he scolded U.S. House Republicans who delayed a
disaster-aid vote on Jan. 1.

After Christie’s rebuke, Republican House Speaker John Boehner allowed a vote on $9.7 billion of the aid on Jan. 4, and
scheduled a Jan. 15 vote for the remainder.

Sandy Bump

Sandy left 2.7 million New Jersey residents without power,
crippled mass transit and flattened some seaside communities.
Christie said on Nov. 26 that he will seek a second term to
help oversee rebuilding from Sandy, which the administration
estimated will cost New Jersey $36.9 billion.

Christie’s approval rating jumped to 77 percent after
Sandy, from 56 percent before, according to Fairleigh Dickinson
University’s PublicMind poll. In a survey released Jan. 7, his
approval was at 73 percent, including 62 percent of Democrats
and 80 percent of independents.

The governor is featured on the cover of the latest issue
of Time magazine with the headline “The Boss,” where they call
him the “master of disaster.”